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Chapter 1 Laying Claim to an Audience: The first Prophets of the New Science - the social context of Copernicanism - Galileo's confrontation with the Church - The effects of Galileo's condemnation - The danger of naturalism and enthusiasm - the social utility of science - the baconian vision - science in elite culture - Chapter 2 The social meaning of Cartesianism from the self to nature (and back to the state) - skepticism and naturalism - gassendi - Beeckmand and the mechanical philosophy in the Netherlands - Cartesianism - the spread of Cartesianism - Chapter 3 Science in the Crucible of the English Revolution - Bacon and the Puritans - the impact of the revolution - the reaction against sectarian radicalism - Hobbes - the Anglican origins of modern science - Isaac Newton and restoration Cambridge - the revolution of 1688-1689 and the Newtonian synthesis - Chapter 4 Crisis and Resolution: the Newtonian Enlightenment - the threat of absolutism - the failure of the old learning - liberal Christianity - the power of science - Spinoza and Spinozism - the new culture of the lay elite - Chapter 5 The Cultural Origins of the first Industrial Revolution - the English enlightenment - science and the Industrial Revolution - the spread of scientific education - the scientific societies - John Smeaton - radical tendencies within industrial culture - Chapter 6 Scientific education and industrialization in Continental Europe - science and the "decline" of the Dutch Republic - Belgium - France - Italy - thinking mechanically - Chapter 7 Science in the industrial revolution - the application of mechanical knowledge - Bristol: an early example of the application of mechanical science - the politics of mechanical application